Gen Dread

There’s a breaking apart happening—not just in political fractures, but in something harder to name: the slow erosion of trust, the disorientation of watching so many people behave as though they don’t possess a basic sense of right from wrong, which way is up, or what’s even real.

Hi friends, Britt here. There’s a wise saying from adrienne maree brown that I carry around everywhere with me: “What we pay attention to grows”. These days, with all the attempts from perverse powerholders to “flood the zone” with their appalling news so we can no longer focus deeply on anything that might translate into resistance, it’s critical that we learn to apply skillful discernment to where and how we focus our attention, so we don’t grow the wrong things at this unthinkable time.

Yes, friends. This is really happening – the dizzying déjà vu of kakistocracy holding the reins in the US once again, this time more organized and impactful in its ability to destroy institutions that protect the public good, and people’s rights, than ever before. Institutional betrayal on mega-mode. So, perhaps you’ve felt like doing something about it? Or upping the ante on ways you’re already fighting for change?

When it comes to the climate crisis, and certainly the even newer realm of climate and mental health, countries in the Global North tend to do most of the talking. John Jamir Benzon Aruta is a psychology and sustainability professor at De La Salle University in Manila, Philippines. And he’s done a lot of work exploring the multiple layers of climate injustice – moral, economic, emotional, psychological, and logistical – that people in the Global South experience as a result.

Sometimes we talk about solar power, sometimes we talk about wind power, but none of that stuff works without community power. If Gen Dread’s helped you feel less alone in the climate crisis, we’d love it if you’d consider joining our small but mighty fortress of folks whose donations are helping us do this work. Become a paid subscriber or support Gen Dread with a one-time donation through our partner, Small Change Fund. Thanks for being here.

This week we’re exploring a question from a reader who shares their conflicted feelings in the days before Hurricane Milton made landfall in Florida. While horrified by the potential devastation and suffering, they also admit to a fleeting but unsettling hope that such destruction might finally serve as a wake-up call about the climate crisis.

We’ve had a few days to adjust now, and the political reality is setting in after last week’s US elections. Many readers of this newsletter no doubt feel gutted. We learned that the U.S. government will be run by climate deniers, pillagers of public lands, and deregulators poised to roll back critical protections of our air, water, and soil.

When we surveyed our readers last year, a majority told us they’d love to see a climate-aware therapist column be made available. Ta-da! We’re so happy to now be in a position to offer this to you, and hope you see it as your personal resource. Though we all sometimes feel like unique, individual selves moving through the cosmos, our problems and discontent tend to be shared. Chances are, we might find pieces of our own stories and struggles in the questions that others ask.

Psst. If you’re reading this week’s newsletter and wondering how you can transform your outrage, your grief, or your concern into small but tangible action that helps the world keep talking about the very real mental health impacts of the climate crisis, may we humbly offer one possibility: become a paid subscriber or if you prefer, support Gen Dread with a one-time donation through our partner,Small Change Fund.

As we mark World Mental Health Day, Hurricane Milton is shocking the world, right after Hurricane Helene robbed so much of so many. Milton transformed from a tropical storm to a Category 5 hurricane in just 36 hours. Meteorologists were left speechless. One veteran scientist at NBC6 Miami broke down in tears on air.